Billy performs "Uptown Girl" in Russia. A better quality version of this is on 2014's A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia concert DVD.

Download "Uptown Girl (Live-Russia)"

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl She's been living in her white bread world As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man That's what I am

If it didn't become so popular, "Uptown Girl," might have been known simply as a novelty song, an homage to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and loving tribute to Christie Brinkley. As it is, however, the song became a huge hit and is often derided by Billy's critics as somehow being symbolic of what is "wrong" with Billy Joel, or his fans.

The criticism is unfair. "Uptown Girl" is an intentional one-off. It was a deliberate attempt to mimic the Frankie Valli falsetto, and a clever counterpoint to Valli's "Rag Doll." It works both musically and lyrically. In contrast to "Rag Doll," in Billy's song it is the guy who is on the wrong side of the tracks, he is a "downtown man" and is trying to a woo an "uptown girl." Billy accounts himself well in the song. People who don't like "Uptown Girl" don't like Frankie Valli, but "Uptown Girl" is more like Frankie Valli than anything else that Billy Joel wrote.

The music video for "Uptown Girl" is a classic. It features both him and Ms. Brinkley doing some simple dance steps. In the video, Billy is a grease monkey at a run-down garage when Ms. Brinkley's limousine pulls in for a fill-up. Billy and his mates begin serenading the uptown girl, and soon she gives in to his working class charms. It was one of the most popular videos of the time as that genre was exploding onto the scene, and no doubt helped propel the song to #3 on the US charts and #1 on the UK charts. Eighteen years later the UK group Westlife did a cover version of the song that went to #1 in the UK. The accompanying video also featured a super model, Claudia Schiffer.

The song is no "Summer, Highland Falls" or "Vienna," and would not make my list of top 40 Billy Joel songs, but it works very well within the context of the album. And the music video remains a guilty pleasure even today.

"And now she's looking for a downtown man . . . "

Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she never had an back street guy
I bet her mama never told her why

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

And when she knows what
She wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind

She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love With an uptown girl
You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice

Oooh...

Uptown girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win

And when she's walking
She's looking so fine
And when she's talking
She'll say that she's mine

She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

All music and lyrics by Billy Joel, except as noted. This is an unofficial fan site providing information and commentary on Billy Joel's music. It is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, or any Billy Joel organization. Billy Joel's official site is at BillyJoel.com.